Bottle gourd or long melon is a very well-known vegetable. Some other common names of this medicinal vegetable are Ghia, Dudhi and lauki. Bottle gourd belong to family cucurbitaceae or cucurbit family. This family is also referred as melon, gourd or pumpkin family. The other member of this family are cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin and bitter melon/Karela.
Bottle gourd or lauki is used as cooked vegetable from time immemorial. Now a days its juice is also gaining popularity due to its ability to cure various diseases and improving overall health. In bottle gourd, there is 97 % water and high fibre content. This helps to aid digestion and cure constipation. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, folate, potassium, calcium, thiamine, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, protein, and riboflavin.
Lauki juice has cooling, diuretic (causing increased passing of urine) and laxative properties. In Ayurveda, its juice is recommended for treatment of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, flatulence, liver diseases and weight loss.
Botanical name: Lagenaria siceraria, Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin family)
Vernacular names
English: Bottle Gourd, Bitter calabash gourd
Hindi: Lauki, Bengali: Ladu, Marathi: Dudhi, Doodhi, Tamil: Surakkai, Malayalam: Pechura, Telugu: Sorakkaya
Kannada: Sorekayi, Urdu: Lauki
Health Benefits of Bottle gourd juice or Lauki/Dudhi Juice
- This helps to reduce cholesterol in body.
- This helps to reduce high blood pressure. This helps to prevent other heart related diseases.
- This helps to alkalise body. It helps to reduce acidity inside the body that is responsible for many diseases.
- This is a mild laxative. Regular intakes helps to stimulate digestion and cures chronic constipation. Since it cures constipation, so this also provides relief in piles.
- Bottle gourd helps to treat urinary tract infection. A glass of Fresh This mixed with a teaspoon of fresh lime juice is good home remedy for urinary tract infections. It should be taken once a day. This is good remedy to get relief in burning sensation of urine.
- This is also excellent remedy to cure excessive thirst. If a person suffers from unquenchable thirst, he/she should drink a glass of lauki juice with pinch of rock salt.
- This is a useful home remedy to treat dehydration caused due to several reasons such as cholera, loose motions. For this purpose Lauki juice (50 ml) should be mixed with coconut water (50 ml). This should be taken at interval of 20 minutes to cure dehydration and electrolyte loss from body.
- This is a helpful home remedy for treating loose motions, diarrhoea and dysentery. In this condition one cup of the juice should be taken few times a day.
- Bottle gourd juice is helpful in weight loss. It is low in calorie but rich in nutrients.
- This prevents premature graying hair. The regular intake of this juice in morning helps to prevent hair greying.
- This is very beneficial in skin diseases. Since it corrects digestion and helps in elimination of toxins from boy, so its regular intake in morning ensures cure of skin related problems.
- Juice intake is also beneficial in enlarged prostate gland.
Please note: It is recommended to take bottle gourd juice alone. Never drink juice of bitter lauki.
You can make bottle gourd juice tastier by adding few ingredients. In a glass of lauki juice, you can add 4-5 mint leaves, jeera powder, rock salt and kali mirch/black pepper powder. This will make bottle gourd juice more appetizing.